The Spirit of Ms. Pat

As many of you may know, Friends of Refugees was started by a wonderful lady named Ms. Pat. As the Clarkston community changed with incoming refugees in the early 90's, Ms. Pat saw an add in her church's newsletter about needing volunteers to help with newly resettled Bosnians in the area.  She answered the call and soon after Friend of Refugees was founded. Ms. Pat is still a full-time volunteer and board member for FOR. She has a passion and love for the people of Clarkston like no one I have ever met. We sometimes refer to her as "the Mother Teresa of Clarkston" because of the ways she is always willing to give everything she has for those around her.

The "original" FOR programs were food and clothing distribution and youth programs. Summer camp has changed a lot over the years, but it all started because Ms. Pat saw a need and did something about it. I have been lucky to talk to some people over the past couple of months who were some of the original staff for summer camp over the years who helped transform it into what it is today. They all said the same thing, it's the spirit of Ms. Pat that makes things go. he has a way of doing things before having everything exactly ready and it always seems to work for her. There's a level of faith that you do what you can, but it's really up to the Lord to make sure it happen. If He's not going to bless it, we probably shouldn't be doing it anyway.

In YP in particular, Ms. Pat has left a legacy of love and faith. We are always striving to keep that legacy in our DNA as a program. It's hard for us because sometimes that means executing plans before you have everything exactly right and ready. We can be so focused on completing step two after we finish step one that we can forget why we are here. We're here to love people. And we don't need anything to do that.

So please pray for us as we gear up for summer camp and a new year of after-school. We are excited to see what God has in store for us and for the youth through the rest of this year.

And praise the Lord because He is so good. We have all the teams we need for summer camp lined up. Interns are coming. Food is falling into place. And the youth we work with just keep getting cooler and cooler.

You can play a part in the YP team by helping us with some basics. Sponsorships are coming up. There will be an opportunity to sponsor a camper or an after-school student. This is a really fun way to get involved. You will be assigned a student, get their picture, and some basic information about them. We had a blast with this last year. You can also buy a shirt now through April 6th. All proceeds will go toward gas for the vans. Just click this link to order your shirt.

Thanks, guys!

"Beautifully in over my head"

Whew. The last couple of weeks has been intense. In case you missed the email update we sent out, the Youth Programs team looks a little different than it has in the past. Read up on that here and let me know if you would like to be added to the email list. As a group, we are so excited to see what is in store for the youth of Clarkston. Already, our young leaders are making an impact in the lives of their peers that is completely amazing. I'm so proud to work with the people listed in the update and the many more who support us by volunteering, supporting financially, and keeping the pantry full of food. We are blessed. 

With the changes that have come and the time of year, it's felt a little overwhelming. January and February is a time of recruiting interns and volunteer teams. Thankfully, we already have 6/7 teams and a few interns committed to the summer. We are not finished yet, but it feels good to have a strong start. 

February is also the month we are launching our monthly donor campaign. Youth Programs is looking for 15 new monthly donors to support youth programs. I explained our ultimate goal in my last post to cover the whole youth programs budget, this is one of the ways we are looking to meet that goal and invite more people into the story. I must admit, you who read my blog are make up monthly donors already. BUT if you're not and you want to join that club, we can make it happen. :)

At the start of the year, Freinds of Refugees revamped their logo and colors. Youth Programs decided we needed to do the same. There will be a YP logo to share with you soon. We are also working with our advisory team to set some core values and further define who we are. And let me tell you, it has been a blessing to dig through the history of our program and look at the threads that have been woven in since the beginning. I love learning how each person that came before us added something unique and special that propelled us to where we are today. 

My job now is much more than manufacturing fun at camp. I have had to learn to overcome many of my own weaknesses when it comes to paperwork and tracking numbers. The things that come naturally to me are not the things that are required of me every day. Ask my mom, I'm not known for my organizational skills or ability to remember details. But I'm getting much better. I'm learning and growing and finding that I'm thankful for the opportunity to be stretched. I am fighting to be good at administrative tasks so that we can continue to have a safe place for youth to come and grow. I can be easily overwhelmed. Probably because I care so much. But I like to think of this new state of constantly feeling swamped as "being beautifully in over my head" instead (thanks for the perfect words Bethel). No worries, though. I may feel overwhelmed now, but I fully intend to come out on top. :)

Thank you, readers for reading. I'll be praying for you as you are hopefully praying for me. 

...

Then You crash over me and I've lost control but I'm free

I'm going under, I'm in over my head

Then you crash over me, and that's where You want me to be

I'm going under, I'm in over my head

Whether I sink, whether I swim

It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head

Whether I sink, whether I swim

It makes no difference when I'm beautifully in over my head

I'm Beautifully in over my head

I'm Beautifully in over my head

Joy in the Ordinary

Sometimes life moves really fast. There is so much to do that you can't even think about doing anything more than the giant things already on your to-do list. Forget making time to stop and smell the roses, you don't even have time to find the roses! And it's true. We are busy. Usually for a good reason like we are trying to do our jobs well as an employee, a family member, a friend, and a neighbor. BUT, when we are so focused on the task we can forget to enjoy the moment. And I've learned that the moment is always worth your attention. 

Long ago when my one of my 9th-grade friends was just a 3rd grader, I got to climb Stone Mountain with her group from camp. When we got to the top, she sat by herself taking in the scenery around her. When I approached her she said, "I've never been on top of the world before. It's pretty cool." All I could do was agree. Even though Stone Mountain is only 1,686 feet tall, that's still a great feat! From that day on, we stayed friends and I've always appreciated the way she sees the world.

Years later, the two of us were on our way to dinner. As we got to the top of one hill she pointed out the Atlanta skyline against the sunset. It was beautiful.  I had driven that way a thousand times and never seen the glimpse of the city visible for just a moment at the top of the hill. I now live less than a mile from that very spot and have to drive over that hill to get home every day. I find a lot of times I'm in a hurry, my brain is full, and I don't see it. But when my mind is not overwhelmed and when I am fully present in the moment, I get the gift of the truly remarkable sight of the barely visible cityscape against the sunset sky. 

See, one of the things I enjoy so much about my job is what I get to learn. These youth have so much to teach me. When I remember to be a learner instead of always a teacher or a leader, I find myself filled in a new way. The lessons I have learned from these friends vary from learning to cook new foods to speaking new languages. From this particular friend, living in the moment and finding joy in the ordinary is one lesson especially dear to me as my to-do list just gets longer.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about a very ordinary task for most organizations: fundraising. We have $117,000 to raise for Youth Programs this year. That's a really big number. But there is joy even in this daunting job because the reason that number is so big is because we are growing. We are reaching more kids than ever, going deeper in relationships, and finding new ways to meet people where they are. There is SAT/ACT prep, bible studies, arts and crafts, soccer, dance, entrepreneurship, preparations for driving tests, homework help, and so much more all happening at once. We have invested volunteers and staff that as tired as we may get, just has to sit back and celebrate because it really is such a joy. If I stay too focused on where we need to be 2 weeks, 3 months, or 5 years from now, I miss the special moments that make it all worth it. $117K is a huge amount of money, but the Lord provides and He is good.

I hope you will pray for Friends of Refugees and Youth Programs specifically as we seek to reach this goal. Every dollar will be celebrated and I have faith that we will be successful. And despite my optimism now,  I'm likely to lose sight of this. So when you see me and I'm stressed about how we are going to complete this giant task, remind me what an awesome challenge it is to take on. Make me remember to live like my friend, taking in what's around me and appreciate things for what they are because the moment (however difficult) is worth your precious time.

This is the silly group that made Stone Mountain
a whole new kind of adventure for me.